For someone suffering a severe stroke, every 10 minutes that goes by before treatment starts in the emergency room may cost eight weeks of a healthy life, Canadian researchers report. In fact, delays in the hospital may have worse consequences for recovery than delays in getting to the hospital, they noted. “Our study confirmed that… read on > read on >
Could the paws of assistance dogs be cleaner than the soles of your shoes? Yes, claims a new study that calls for allowing assistance dogs to accompany their owners in all public places. To prove their point, Dutch researchers tested the paws of 25 assistance dogs and the soles on the shoes of their owners… read on > read on >
Even when women do their best to have a safe pregnancy, chemicals commonly found in the home could still raise their risk for premature delivery, a new study shows. The chemicals — called polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) — are used as flame retardants in items like furniture and carpets. For the study, researchers analyzed blood… read on > read on >
Why are men over 50 around the world 60% more likely than women to die early? Two big reasons are higher rates of smoking and heart disease, according to a large new study. The findings are based on an analysis of data from more than 179,000 people in 28 countries. Fifty-five percent were women. Researchers… read on > read on >
If your teenagers have been struggling to cope during the coronavirus pandemic, a new survey suggests they are far from alone. Researchers found that 46% of 977 parents of teens said their child has shown signs of a new or worsening mental health condition since the start of the pandemic. More parents of teen girls… read on > read on >
Having an intellectual disability is second only to being elderly as a risk factor for dying from COVID-19, a new study suggests. “The chances of dying from COVID-19 are higher for those with intellectual disability than they are for people with congestive heart failure, kidney disease or lung disease,” said study author Dr. Jonathan Gleason,… read on > read on >
Humans sweat more and move more than chimpanzees and other apes, but new research shows people are actually more water-efficient than their primate cousins. For the first time, scientists say they measured precisely how much water humans lose and replace each day compared with their closest living animal relatives. The investigators found that the human… read on > read on >
When you turn your clocks forward to Daylight Saving Time this weekend, take a few minutes to make your home safer. Change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) suggests. Unless these devices have sealed 10-year batteries, they require fresh batteries every year. It’s also… read on > read on >
About 7 out of 10 Alzheimer’s patients wound up free of the brain plaques that are a hallmark of the disease after treatment with a potentially breakthrough experimental drug, clinical trial results show. The drug, donanemab, also significantly slowed the patients’ brain decline, according to findings published March 13 in the New England Journal of… read on > read on >
Raising chickens in your backyard — a popular trend during the COVID-19 pandemic — holds risks that can come home to roost in an unwelcome way. It’s already well known that poultry can spread the salmonella bacteria to human handlers. But chickens cooped up in backyards could also be breeding grounds for viruses that pose… read on > read on >
